News: Students spend family time at M.C. Perry Spring Fling School Carnival

Gayla Hines, a Matthew C. Perry Elementary School second-grader, pours sand into a tube to layer different colors into a design at the sand booth during the M.C. Perry Spring Fling School Carnival at the M.C. Perry Elementary School playground here May 13. Hines used more pink sand than any other color on the table for her sand design.

IWAKUNI, Japan - As students of Matthew C. Perry Elementary School gathered around in a semi-circle, Susie Strasner, an M.C. Perry Elementary School counselor, sat on the wooden plank above the water and hoped she wouldn’t get dunked.

The dunk tank was just one of the many activities at the Spring Fling School Carnival held on the M.C. Perry Elementary School playground May 13.

One-by-one the students took their three shots at the target. Many students missed, but some managed to hit all three balls on the target. Once the ball hit the target, Strasner fell into the water and came back up splashing as the students laughed.

“I will do anything for the kids,” said Strasner. “We wanted to make this day as fun as possible for them.”

“It was fun because my sister couldn’t throw it hard enough, but I did, twice,” said Hines.

All the money made from selling tickets and food during the event went to the school for supplies.

Many different activities were present at the carnival. There was a teacher jail, temporary tattoos, face painting, an obstacle bounce house, a barbecue and many more activities.

As students went from activity to activity with snakes, soccer balls, smiley faces and other designs painted on their face, they munched away at sticks of pink cotton candy and turned their mouths blue with juice from snow cones.

Many went hunting like animals for their teachers to put them in jail for 15 minutes; Strasner was a big hit with the children and was taken to jail multiple times. While those students were on the hunt, some students went to the sand making booth.

Maria Calderon, an M.C. Perry sixthgrader, made her way to the tattoos.

“I like how the tattoos look and they come off,” said Calderon.

Another big hit at the Spring Fling School Carnival was the barbecue. They served hotdogs, burgers, pizza, corn, chips and other foods as well as having drinks available. The line snaked its way around booths and other activities for a good amount of the time.

The parents, although there was not much for them to do, had fun being dragged around by their excited children and seeing their children’s smiles.

Gina Friedhoff, an M.C. Perry teacher and parent, said, "It’s a good way to spend time with our children. Yes, we are dragged around but it’s still bonding with them.”

As the event came to a close, students and parents rushed around the prize table trying to turn in their tickets first. After the tickets were turned in the students walked up and down the tables staking out their prizes.

The parents and students walked away from the crowded table with smiles on their faces and prizes in their hands.